What is a "GOOD" Flow?

[Fernando Nicotera]

When talking about lava lamps, i always find people talking about their flow. My question is: what do you consider a good flow? Better slower or faster? or is it a totally different thing?

If you can, make an example with a video :)

[Fernando Nicotera]

Is there a tutorial or something to learn how to refill bottles without ruining the flow? Sorry I'm new to the forum

Claude J said:

Goo Kit and SURF are tow different things

SURF (oir Surfactant ) is a chemical that will break surface tension,'

It is also used to coat the bottle prior to adding goo (any goo) so It doesn't stick

Too much SURF and you will get balls/blobs

Too little and its just one long snake

Minions said:

Will that result in the balls, or will that result in flow more like yours (the metallic goo one)? I have some from a goo kit I can add, I assume that is similar to the surf you are referring to.

Claude J said:

That can be resolved with a 1/2 teaspoon of SURF to help it break the tension

Minions said:

I have some midnight Aristocrats...

[Claude J]

see attached for SURF amounts

Fernando Nicotera said:

Is there a tutorial or something to learn how to refill bottles without ruining the flow? Sorry I'm new to the forum

Claude J said:

Goo Kit and SURF are tow different things

SURF (oir Surfactant ) is a chemical that will break surface tension,'

It is also used to coat the bottle prior to adding goo (any goo) so It doesn't stick

Too much SURF and you will get balls/blobs

Too little and its just one long snake

Minions said:

Will that result in the balls, or will that result in flow more like yours (the metallic goo one)? I have some from a goo kit I can add, I assume that is similar to the surf you are referring to.

Claude J said:

That can be resolved with a 1/2 teaspoon of SURF to help it break the tension

Minions said:

I have some midnight Aristocrats...

[Fernando Nicotera]

What about wax and liquid? Also how big is a mathmos astro baby compared to lava lite's?

[Claude J]

I had a whole page of instructions in response to your questions and the website lost it when i went to post it

Email me at  [e-mail] and i will send attachments and a laundry list of informative info

[Minions]

The goo kit comes with a bottle of Surf

[Johnny]

i think i noticed the change when they started doing the different colour bases and you had to order certain bottles for them, ive found since refilling original crestworth early mathmos bottles that topping up the master fluid with distilled water actuly helps alot, slows the movement down a tad and makes the flow much better, prior to that i started using the halogen type bulbs looked like a standard bulb shape, these ran slighty cooler than a stand 40watt which again slowed the movement down.

at the moment ive had a lantern on for 5 hours and no sign off the wax breaking up into small blobs and a jet with 40watt bulb still flowing fine with long stretchy blobs, so id say deffo the top of with distilled water helps the flow. So either mathmos have changed the density of the fluid or its down to the new type bulbs being used

Adara said:

Johnny - Have you had any luck with Mathmos, explaining why they changed the flow on their bottles. I contacted them and they are saying to me that they are using the same formula as always but I think you are right. Mine are just producing blobs. The worst one is Neo.

Johnny said:

the flow craven walker wanted and did was the long stretchy flows not just blobs, ive found now that mathmos's have gone to the blobs and not stretchy longs shapes, im guessing there adjusted the combination for faster warm up process, when i refill a original crestworth bottle theres never enough fluid from the new mathmos bottles so top up with distilled water doing this slows the flow down and gives a more better movement as in not just blobs but big stretchy shapes :-)

[Adara]

Hi Johnny - Can I ask do you have any of their new bottles or just ones from the 90s. Can I ask how much distilled water you use and how much you take out. Thanks.

Johnny said:

i think i noticed the change when they started doing the different colour bases and you had to order certain bottles for them, ive found since refilling original crestworth early mathmos bottles that topping up the master fluid with distilled water actuly helps alot, slows the movement down a tad and makes the flow much better, prior to that i started using the halogen type bulbs looked like a standard bulb shape, these ran slighty cooler than a stand 40watt which again slowed the movement down.

at the moment ive had a lantern on for 5 hours and no sign off the wax breaking up into small blobs and a jet with 40watt bulb still flowing fine with long stretchy blobs, so id say deffo the top of with distilled water helps the flow. So either mathmos have changed the density of the fluid or its down to the new type bulbs being used

Adara said:

Johnny - Have you had any luck with Mathmos, explaining why they changed the flow on their bottles. I contacted them and they are saying to me that they are using the same formula as always but I think you are right. Mine are just producing blobs. The worst one is Neo.

Johnny said:

the flow craven walker wanted and did was the long stretchy flows not just blobs, ive found now that mathmos's have gone to the blobs and not stretchy longs shapes, im guessing there adjusted the combination for faster warm up process, when i refill a original crestworth bottle theres never enough fluid from the new mathmos bottles so top up with distilled water doing this slows the flow down and gives a more better movement as in not just blobs but big stretchy shapes :-)

[Johnny]

Adara,

it depends what bottle your using and i normaly add about a 10mm in height in  a Astro bottle when could, mix it in then run and see how it performs, its trial and error

Adara said:

Hi Johnny - Can I ask do you have any of their new bottles or just ones from the 90s. Can I ask how much distilled water you use and how much you take out. Thanks.

Johnny said:

i think i noticed the change when they started doing the different colour bases and you had to order certain bottles for them, ive found since refilling original crestworth early mathmos bottles that topping up the master fluid with distilled water actuly helps alot, slows the movement down a tad and makes the flow much better, prior to that i started using the halogen type bulbs looked like a standard bulb shape, these ran slighty cooler than a stand 40watt which again slowed the movement down.

at the moment ive had a lantern on for 5 hours and no sign off the wax breaking up into small blobs and a jet with 40watt bulb still flowing fine with long stretchy blobs, so id say deffo the top of with distilled water helps the flow. So either mathmos have changed the density of the fluid or its down to the new type bulbs being used

Adara said:

Johnny - Have you had any luck with Mathmos, explaining why they changed the flow on their bottles. I contacted them and they are saying to me that they are using the same formula as always but I think you are right. Mine are just producing blobs. The worst one is Neo.

Johnny said:

the flow craven walker wanted and did was the long stretchy flows not just blobs, ive found now that mathmos's have gone to the blobs and not stretchy longs shapes, im guessing there adjusted the combination for faster warm up process, when i refill a original crestworth bottle theres never enough fluid from the new mathmos bottles so top up with distilled water doing this slows the flow down and gives a more better movement as in not just blobs but big stretchy shapes :-)

[Johnny]

this is what id call a good flow

[Fernando Nicotera]

typical mathmos flow

Johnny said:

this is what id call a good flow